1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sliding doors.
2. Prior Art
Sliding doors are commonly used for shower enclosures, closets, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, a typical sliding door installation is comprised of a frame 10, and two sliding glass doors 11 and 12 movably positioned in frame 10. Roller assemblies 13-16 are attached to the top edges of doors 11 and 12, and ride on rails (not shown) in a header 17 of frame 10. When either door is opened, it overlaps the other door. Because of the narrow space between the doors, a handle 18 attached to inner door 12 must be thin enough to pass through behind outer door 11, as shown in FIG. 2. Such a handle is a mere finger pull that is no more than about 0.5 inch thick, and is difficult to grab. If a thicker, more easily grabbed handle is attached to inner door 12, it would slam against the inner edge of outer door 11 when the doors are slid to an overlapping position. Repeated slamming would cause the handle or even the glass doors to break.
Accordingly, the objective of the present sliding door stop is to prevent a pair of sliding doors from fully overlapping, so as to enable larger, easier-to-grasp handles to be attached to the doors without damaging the handles or the doors. Further objectives of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
The present sliding door stop is positioned within the header of a sliding door frame. It is comprised of first-and second arms connected by a connecting member. First and second bumper surfaces on the inner and outer edges of the first arm are respectively positioned over first and second tracks in the header. A third bumper surface on the inner edge of the second arm is also positioned over the first track. The arms are positioned around the outer roller assembly of a first sliding door which is hung on the first track, so that the stop is slaved to the movement of the door. The maximum possible overlap between the doors is limited by the first arm when the roller assembly of the first door is engaged against the first bumper surface, and the roller assembly of a second door is engaged against the second bumper surface.